Jeffery officially signed his franchise tag tender the first week of March. The signing assures Jeffery a 2016 salary of $14.6 million unless the two sides work out a long-term deal before July 15, which HC John Fox and GM Ryan Pace said was the stated goal. Jeffery is ninth in the NFL since 2013 with 3,361 receiving yards and has 21 touchdowns in 41 games during that time (14th in both categories). Jeffery appeared in nine games for the Bears in 2015 but was never fully healthy following a muscle strain in his leg in August. Jeffery ended the season on injured reserve with 54 receptions for a team-high 807 yards with four touchdowns. Even in limited action his 89.7 receiving yards per game average was good enough to finish eighth in the NFL in 2015. With Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett no longer on the roster and fellow wideout Kevin White unproven after a rookie season lost to a shin injury, Jeffery is easily the Bears' most dynamic player. His age and track record make him an obvious player to build around -- something dynasty owners should keep in mind as well.

Alshon Jeffery 2015 Outlook

For three seasons, Jeffery was behind Brandon Marshall in the Bears’ receiver drills. As the Chicago Tribune noted, Jeffery “followed, watched and learned. There were workout trips to Florida and hours spent hanging out. A little brother/big brother relationship formed. Now Jeffery’s alone. Big bro was traded to the New York Jets. ...” So the question for fantasy owners is whether Jeffery is truly ready to step into that No. 1 role. Jeffery, who had 174 catches, 2,554 yards and 17 touchdowns over the last two seasons, has demonstrated that he can produce with Jay Cutler as the triggerman. Now, however, he’ll be working opposite rookie Kevin White instead of Marshall. Despite the new role, numberFire.com believes there is ample reason for optimism. New HC John Fox likes Jeffery plenty, and all indications point to Jeffery playing the Demaryius Thomas role in offensive coordinator Adam Gase’s offense. In 2014, Thomas not only led the NFL in targets (184), but he was also the top option in the red zone (with 39 red-zone targets) in the NFL. Look for Jeffery to excel in that role.

Alshon Jeffery 2014 Outlook

Jeffery and Brandon Marshall racked up 1,421 and 1,295 yards, respectively, to finish sixth and 11th in the NFL in receiving yardage -- which will lead to questions this summer as to which one is actually the No. 1 here. We’re not sure it matters. Their combined 2,716 yards ranked as the second most of any receiver duo in the NFL, behind only Denver’s Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker (2,718). Marshall and Jeffery’s combined yardage total represents the most by a duo in Bears franchise history. When teams focused on Marshall, Jeffery often took advantage of single coverage, which helped him to become the only receiver in Bears history to produce two 200-yard receiving games in a season. That production moving forward will likely change the way teams defend Marshall and Jeffery. Either way, it’s going to be very difficult to argue with anybody taking Jeffery over Marshall. If you’re splitting hairs, Jeffery definitely seems like the better standard league guy.